http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news;_ylt=AhRz...p&type=lgns




Weaknesses of the passport aside, a vote of confidence for UCI's efforts so far.

Hi Lister,

A vote of confidence perhaps. But confirmation of what exactly? That the passport is a great way for the other ugly step-sister to look good while facilitating?

I know you didn't mean it this way, but the latest evidence we have is not very supportive of actually doing anything but facilitation.

Dave.

A vote of confidence indeed -- confidence in the ultimate corruptibility and bogus nature of the Passport system. If there is a sport that has covered up doping even worse than cycling, it's futbol. And now they're endorsing the UCI's efforts in coming up with the most effective con tool yet -- guaranteed to finger no more than a tiny fraction of dopers but con/convince loads of people that the detection system is so good, virtually all doping has ceased.

About the only thing left is for Ferrari, Santuccioni, Fuentes and their "professional colleagues" to form a "coaches union" and come out with a glowing endorsement of the Passport system, praising it's effectiveness and asking that it be adopted widely by all other sports in which they have athlete clients.

While I understand the reservations about the passport, are you saying that this is useless, or worse, even with WADA's involvement? What does that say about what you think of WADA?

Are you saying that the increase in the number of suspensions for doping in the past 4 or so years, illustrated here, is insignificant, or entriely unrelated to the passport?

Do you think that scientists now commenting on 'borderline' (at least so far) passport values, without losing their jobs or suffering horrendous lawsuits, is no indication of progress?

By all means, let's pressure all federations to act more, but I think you guys are forgetting the bad old days.

I think that the more lab workers, that see more blood histories, the more we will get a chorus of voices for tighter standards. Yes, the cheaters will get more sophisticated, but at least there are measures against the previous era's blind eye to the telescope.

Hi Lister,

It is my opinion, often challenged, that WADA is doing a good job. Moreover, that challenges to WADA's reputation are more about thinly veiled strategies by recidivist and egregious dopers. It is also my opinion that AFLD did more in one Tour de France than UCI has done or will ever do to catch real dopers, and dopers that were real contenders and not just some cast-off, low-hanging fruit that some DS wanted to avoid paying contract severance to.

It is my further opinion, though one which I was very slow in developing, that the passport may well be allowing teams, or minimially individuals on teams, with alleged non-doping commitments and campaigns to actually have another shield to hide behind.

Finally, as others like RH pointed out when the passport system was launched, the passport can potentially not only be manipulated, but, in the worst case, can actually be used as a tool by very sophisticated dopers.

If FIFA had a credible past history of effectively thwarting doping, then it would be a far more credible endorsement of the passport system for them to adopt it. Of all sports, FIFA arguably has a worse record and even greater facilitation of doping than cycling. For that reason alone judgement on their adoption should only come after proof is delivered.

Dave.

Conceptually, the passport system is a double-edged sword. I wouldn't characterize it as "useless". I would, however, characterize it's current incarnation as creating more harm than good. And I would characterize the UCI's tortured application as a definitively insidious tool that the UCI has used to cover up far more doping than it has "exposed." The UCI has shown itself clearly to be in the business of outright coverup. The Passport is used by the UCI to promote a lie, and secondarily, to "manage" the pecking order of the sport, and to further entrench and empower its own bureaucracy and self-interest. While I'm guessing you and I see much of this the same, we are in very different places when it comes to seeing the UCI for what it is.




Sorry, I reject the premise. More suspensions? In fact, it's quite the opposite. With the arrival of the Passport, has come a dramatic DROP in positives and sanctions. A single token bust in this year's TDF (despite garbage bins full of doping product refuse). Of the laughably paltry list of positives for 2009, nearly half of them are leftovers from 2007 and 2008. Now either you believe suddenly cycling became 5 or 10 times as clean, or you believe that the Passport system is so impotent that it couldn't identify any of it, or you believe the Passport system pointed the way to doping, but the UCI buried it all and despite having better reconnaissance on doping, chose to make fewer busts.

Regrettably, I would say 2009 marks a watershed -- the "final" application of the Passport and a tipping point in the opposite direction. Finally the people who make the most $$ from pro cycling have found a p.r. tool that has given them cover in the eyes of most of the lapdog media and among all but the most cynical of fans. In past years, whenever the establishment tried to trumpet that doping was being stamped out with evidence of the anti-doping testing regimes it was clear the media and public just weren't buying it. But now, here they are trumpeting the "clean" TDF and there is no hue and cry of opposition.

I guess I'm in the camp that believes, however noble the intentions of Passport, it's being used as the ultimate cover for doping. By the UCI, and by those who wish to speak with forked tongue claiming on the one hand they are anti-doping, while on the other courting and cavorting with dopers.

Really, I'd say about the only thing left at this point is for Jonathon Vaughters to sign Contador or one of his ilk to a Garmin contract, citing the Passport as evidence of cleanliness.

Antidoping will be serious when it's has been done by extern entities.

We had earlier a topic to give our criteria showing a cleanest cycling, although I have not found the topic I guess that most of our criteria are not satisfied.